Where can I start? I guess it's best to start at the very beginning...
I was born in Mexico 19 years ago. Neither of my parents had the opportunity to attend high school and had to work hard to provide for their families. Like most people, my family was having a hard time financially, so my father immigrated to the U.S while my mother and I stayed behind. He was here for a few months but soon realized he could no longer live without seeing my mother and me, so he went back for us. We arrived in the U.S when I was five years old.
It was difficult adapting to the new life, especially since I attended five different elementary schools (including the one in Mexico) and being a single child, I was very quiet and shy. Knowing no English, made it even more difficult. Well, with time, I learned English; we moved residence three times before residing in the house we are currently buying, and my two brothers were born.
I went to high school and survived the International Baccalaureate program, a program similar to Advance Placement programs but much more rigorous and with international recognition, and received my I.B Diploma. I was a member of the marching band and the award winning dance drill team, and many honor organizations. I graduated in the top 5% of my class (a class of a little over 500 students). I graduated with honors of course, and many scholarships.
I applied to four different universities, the University of North Texas, Texas Tech University, The University of Texas, and Texas A&M University. I was accepted at all, and chose the one I liked the best.
Currently I am at a university double majoring in Sociology and Spanish and plan on graduating a year early because of the number of credits I came in with as a freshmen. I am involved in many activities, including a dance team, a bible study, an honor society but most importantly, a DREAM Act support group which we just started. I am fortunate enough to have state financial aid, one grant and a scholarship which along with my parent's monetary help, have allowed me to continue my education. Going to a university in which 71% of the students are white, has been quite a culture shock since I come from a diverse neighborhood. Like many DREAMers, often, I encounter many obstacles.
With one year left until graduation, I am very hopeful that the DREAM Act and or CIR will pass. I want to continue on to graduate school, but I will no longer be able to afford school if my status does not change. The financial aid I currently receive is only for graduate school and my family and I are running out of funds.
I blog today, not because I want to brag, but because I know there are other DREAMers out there like me, which are struggling. I write to encourage all of those students to keep pursing their dreams. The life of a DREAMer is anything but easy, but we must persevere.
~DREAM Agent CC